FRISCO, Texas — There is no two ways about it: the Dallas Cowboys are struggling to run the ball in 2024. What might help in that regard and, most importantly, toward potentially helping the offense find the end zone more consistently, would be the ability of Dak Prescott to use his legs to keep defenses off-balance.
It doesn't sound like that's going to be a part of the plan going forward, however, having also not been through the first seven games en route to a 3-4 record.
"You really don't want to see him really take off with that ball," owner and general manager Jerry Jones told 105.3 The Fan on Tuesday, following the team's fourth consecutive loss to the San Francisco 49ers. "These quarterbacks that run, you know they're gonna get injured. That happens. It happens to the youngest and it happens to the best. It's happened to Dak."
Prescott suffered a season-ending broken ankle on a scramble play in 2021, against the New York Giants in Week 5, and has been reticent to use his legs to gain yards ever since. He's done it on rare occasions, but not like he once did — e.g., during his Mississippi State days.
Jones is perfectly fine with it, carrying the belief that the risk isn't worth the reward.
"To the end that we rely on him to stay healthy, that's an important part of it," Jones said. "I wouldn't say it's up there in red letters at the facility to not run, but I'd say we want him to be smart about it. And he is being smart about it. However, he will, when he sees the opportunity, pull it down and run with it — as we know."
The Cowboys took a 10-6 lead into halftime against the San Francisco 49ers before Brock Purdy began to use his mobility to help lead his offense to three touchdowns in three drives in that quarter alone, and that's not a fact lost on Jones.
"It's easy to compare, and that's fair, when the opposing quarterback is really complementing what they're doing with their offense with his running," said Jones. "But I'm satisfied with Dak, in terms of his ability to run. It's there, as far as physically, he can run. We want Dak, in the future, to do the kind of job with his arm and get the ball out to the outside, you see us trying to do that a lot, and make up for anything that we might want to do [with his legs]."
Prescott finished the game at Levi's Stadium having rushed only once for a one-yard loss. Purdy, contrarily, ran eight times for 56 yards and a victory.
But, for Jones, it's bigger than any one play or situation within the game.
"I don't want to see him take those kinds of hits," he said.
And, with that, you shouldn't look for Prescott to turn into Purdy or Patrick Mahomes (no one is Lamar Jackson), on the ground.
Not anytime soon, if ever again.
